Our Fitness Blog

3 Wrong Reasons to Start Your Exercise Routine

We all must find that special thing that will help us stay motivated. There are many reasons as to why we want to exercise, but as you will soon find out, some reasons are better than others. For most of us looking back on the reasons why we began our exercise routine in the first place is all we need to get us out of any fitness ruts we may encounter. Therefore, you need to make sure you are exercising for all the right reasons. Here we look at a few of the wrong reasons many of us may use to start a fitness routine and how we can fix our outlook on them.

To eradicate the food binge you had the night before. It is common for a lot of us to binge on snack foods at night. We may like to stuff ourselves to capacity and tell ourselves we will just hit the gym a little harder tomorrow. You should not let exercise be the cure all for overeating. You will only be punishing yourself for the night before, and no one likes a punishment. Instead try looking at your fitness routine as something that makes you feel better. You can release those endorphins to make you feel less stressed and improve your health at the same time.

To eat whenever and whatever you want. You can't expect exercise to negate all the negative effects of an unhealthy diet. Sure you will be able to burn some of those excess calories, but will you be able to burn them all? Most likely, you won't. It is far easier to overindulge in calories than it is to burn them. So, instead of trying to outsmart your unhealthy diet, try eating healthier, consistently. Your body will feel and be much healthier for it. However, just because you can't exercise to eat whatever you want whenever you want, does not mean that you can not enjoy your favorite guilty pleasure every now and then.

To become skinny. We are bombarded daily with the need to have the perfect body image. Magazines, models, ads and other media show us stick thin people and have all of us striving to be these unreal images. Most of us know that it is nothing but photoshop giving these people the appearance of having those perfect bodies; however, others just want to be them and think that if they exercise hard enough they can achieve this look. However, you could be sabotaging your fitness routine with unrealistic goals and expectations. You should want your body to be healthy and strive to be healthier. By wanting a stick thin body, you could overdo your fitness routine, quit when you think you are skinny enough or become frustrated when you do not immediately achieve your goals. So, no matter what your size, even the skinny ones, you should keep on exercising. In the end you will feel and look healthier.

Exercising for the right reasons can keep you going on days you feel down. If you are exercising for the wrong reasons then you may feel overwhelmed or frustrated and eventually quit your exercising routine. So, do yourself a favor and reevaluate the reason you started exercising in the first place and make sure that it is the best motivation for you. In the end it is what will help you stick with your exercise routine and help you become healthier.